MannerLaw Blog

Florida Used Car Buyers Beware

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Dana Manner
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., December 12, 2012 – Car shoppers looking to save money by buying a used car instead of a new one will want to take note of findings from a recent study by auto shopping site CarGurus (www.cargurus.com), which indicate that roughly one in six (16%) used cars listed for sale in the U.S. shows [...]

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USA Today Article Quotes Miami Consumer Advocate Attorney Dana Manner

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Dana Manner
USA Today

February 7, 2013 USA Today “Confident Consumer” reporter Jayne O’Donnell published an article on Yo-Yo car financing entitled “Don’t Take Car Until Loan is Final” (pdf copy of article). The article highlights many of the problems surrounding spot-delivery of cars to consumers (i.e. cars are delivered “on the spot” with a promise from the dealer [...]

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Florida Car Dealer’s Motion to Compel Arbitration Denied

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Dana Manner
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On February 5, 2013 – County Court Judge Sharon Zeller entered an order denying Wow Auto Deals, LLC Motion to Compel Arbitration in a case where a Pembroke Pines, Florida car buyer complained that Wow Auto Deals fraudulently sold them a car with defective or missing airbags. In response to the complaint filed in Broward County by Dana L. Manner, [...]

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FTC Proposes Modifications to Used Car Rule

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Dana Manner
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The Used Car Rule, formally known as the Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule, has been in effect since 1985 and requires car dealers to display a window sticker, known as a Buyers Guide, on the used cars they offer for sale. The Buyers Guide discloses whether the dealer offers a warranty and, if so, [...]

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eBay Car Buyers Must Do More Research Before Bidding

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Dana Manner
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Take a look at this 2010 GMC TERRAIN SL 3.0L 6 VIN: 2CTFLGEY6A6349475 being auctioned off on eBay by Clearwater Florida used car dealer (eBay User ID: “flautomall” a/k/a Florida Cars http://flautopark.com/) who has been the subject of prior stories posted on the MannerLaw Blog. The pictures on the internet look good, and the dealer has a link [...]

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Florida Lenders can be Liable for Car Dealer’s Bad Deals

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Dana Manner
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Portions of this post were originally published in the Florida Bar Journal November, 2012 Volume 86, No. 9, “Lender Liability for Merchant Misconduct in Consumer Transactions” and are excerpted here with the permission and generosity of the author Ian Forsythe of Hilyard, Bogan & Palmer, P.A. Example: Car buyer purchases a vehicle from a motor vehicle dealer, and finances the [...]

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Florida Toyota Dealer Explains Florida’s Dealer Fee Law

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Dana Manner
Earl Stewart

I have been following Earl Stewart’s blog for a couple of years now, because I am a consumer advocate attorney that deals in auto dealer fraud. I found Earl’s candor about unfair and deceptive dealer practices refreshing, and to be honest initially I was somewhat skeptical. Recently, I contacted Earl by email, and later by [...]

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Super Storm Sandy Flood Damaged Cars May Soon Come to Market

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Dana Manner
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In the wake of Super Storm Sandy stories abound about flood damaged cars that are going to be dumped onto the market and that unsuspecting buyers will be victimized by criminal used car dealers. Hurricane Katrina changed the laws when it comes to insurance companies reporting flood damage vehicles, and that “flood damage” should be [...]

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Car Dealer has Customer Arrested – Spot Delivery Scam

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Dana Manner
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Chesapeake, VA – Car buyer Danny Sawyer was arrested when Priority Chevrolet reported that the buyer had stolen a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse, because the dealership mistakenly undercharged the customer, and the customer refused to sign a costlier contract, according to a report in The Virginian-Pilot Sawyer test-drove a blue Chevrolet Traverse on May 7 but ultimately [...]

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Canadian TV Exposes “Holes” in Carfax Vehicle History Reports

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Dana Manner
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A Canadian TV broadcast (CBC’s “Marketplace” Canada’s Investigative Consumer Show) exposes holes “big enough to drive a truck through” in Carfax vehicle history reports. This video segment shows how many cars that appear to have clean vehicle histories can actually have hidden damage and prior repairs. Used car dealers can exploit these gaps in reporting, [...]

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